Voice of the people (letter).

No Offense

December 22, 1994|By John McIntyre.

DOWNERS GROVE — Kelly Kleiman (Voice, Dec. 16) considers "Merry Christmas" an insult to people of faiths other than Christian, or to those of no faith whatsoever.

Christmas, alas, quite some time ago became a holiday with a secular rather than religious emphasis. In the minds of many, the day is associated with decorated trees, Santa Claus, reindeer and presents. None of these, with the possible exception of the last, is even hinted at in the Gospel account.

Most practitioners of the several creeds mentioned by Kleiman never have objected to Christmas since they do not see it as a threat to their own beliefs. Nor would most Christians living in a land populated mainly by people of another faith object to a holiday that seemed to honor Buddha or Mohammed. They would instead observe the day, take it off, and make use of whatever greeting was appropriate to the occasion.